Bass Pro Shops and Cobb Theatres coming to One Daytona

Several other businesses — including restaurants, “entertainment outlets” and a “fashion retailer” — have letters of intent.

By Eileen Zaffiro-Keaneileen.zaffiro-kean@news-jrnl.com

DAYTONA BEACH — One Daytona — a planned complex of hotels, shops, restaurants, condo lofts and offices across from Daytona International Speedway — has its first two tenants.Cobb Theatres and Bass Pro Shops have signed leases that will allow them to move into new buildings on the open expanse of 190 acres that will become an urban village packed with places for race fans to play, locals to get a bite or a little night life, and others to make their home. The Bass Pro Shops lease, signed Tuesday, is for 20 years, and the Cobb Theatres lease, signed at the end of last week, is also for 20 years. Financial terms of the contracts were not disclosed for the two businesses that will anchor the complex in one-of-a-kind modern structures expected to wow visitors. “We’re proud to officially welcome Bass Pro and Cobb Theatres as the first lease tenants of One Daytona, with many more following closely behind,” said Atlanta-based Jacoby Development Inc. Chairman Jim Jacoby. “Our team is hard at work with Bass Pro and Cobb on the various design elements to bring forth the very best experience for our guests at One Daytona. We look forward to hosting the millions of visitors who will shop at Bass Pro and attend movie premiers at Cobb’s Daytona Theatre.” Jacoby Development, a real estate development business that tackles large-scale redevelopment projects, is partnering with International Speedway Corp. on One Daytona.Several other businesses — including restaurants, “entertainment outlets” and a “fashion retailer” — have letters of intent and will likely also get under contract in the coming months to rent spots in One Daytona, said Brian Leary, managing director for Jacoby Development, which gave Marineland in northeast Flagler County a makeover in years past and turned a former steel mill in Atlanta into a large mixed-used development.The agreements with Bass Pro Shops and Cobb Theatres accelerated negotiations with other businesses, Leary noted.International Speedway Corp., which owns the property that will become One Daytona, secured letters of intent with both Bass Pro Shops and Cobb Theatres last year. The leases come less than a week after both the city of Daytona Beach and county government officially committed to contributing a combined $44.5 million to help cover the $53 million bill to create a network of water and sewer pipes, sidewalks, retention ponds and parking garages.Leary stressed that the city and county help was key in making deals with the new One Daytona tenants.“This is the cause and effect of the partnership with the city and county,” Leary said.The infrastructure construction is expected to begin by this summer and construction on the new buildings could be underway by early next year. The goal is to open both the new theater and Bass Pro Shops store in early 2016, to coincide with the completion of a $400 million renovation of the Speedway.The new theater will be 60,000 square feet, and it will include 12 screens. But it won’t be just another multiplex, said Cobb Theatres Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Welman.“I think it’s safe to say there will be amenities this part of Florida has not experienced,” Welman said. “We’ll pull out all the stops.”Welman said details of those amenities will be released in the future. The rendering of the theater building shows a modern structure with a dramatic entrance. The structure will sit at the rear of the property at the end of the main drag through One Daytona.“They plan on making this a theater of national significance,” Leary said.Welman said the deal with ISC has been in the works for a few years, and moviegoers will be pleased with the final results.“We’ve got some surprises,” he said. “You can’t go with Daytona International Speedway and not go big.”Cobb Theatres, founded in the 1920s, is based in Alabama and has 19 theaters throughout the Southeast, including 13 in Florida.“One Daytona presents us with the perfect opportunity to enter this growing market and is just the type of opportunity we’ve been waiting for,” said Bobby Cobb, President & CEO of Cobb Theatres. “Daytona Beach is at the center of a large trade area and in the midst of a major development boon. We’re thrilled to be a part of the exciting project that is One Daytona, which will create an amazing destination for residents and for visitors directly across from Daytona International Speedway.”Bass Pro Shops is based in Missouri, and Johnny Morris, founder of the outdoors business, said he’s excited to be coming to Daytona Beach.“We are thrilled to take this exciting step forward with the One Daytona project,” said Morris, whose Bass Pro Shops operates 77 retail stores and Tracker Marine Centers in 26 states and Canada that attract more than 120 million people annually. “The area’s long history of outdoor entertainment, along with the highly visible and easily accessible location, makes it the perfect place to serve our many customers and outdoor enthusiasts that visit and live in this beautiful part of the country,” he said in a prepared statement.The new Daytona Bass Pro Shops will cover 70,000 square feet and include a main building and a boathouse building on a small body of water. ISC will own the buildings, but Bass Pro Shops is playing an integral role in their design and construction and is helping out with costs to build them, Leary said.Daytona was fortunate to land the business, Leary said, noting the average Bass Pro Shops store pulls in 3 million visitors per year.“Bass Pro Shops has the opportunity to go wherever they want,” Leary said.At full build-out, One Daytona is expected to include up to 1.4 million square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment area; 660 hotel rooms; 2,500 theater seats; 1,350 residential units; 567,000 square feet of office space; and up to 500,000 square feet of research and development space. The first phase of the project will include 1.1 million square feet of space for shops, restaurants, hotels, theaters and other entertainment.“These lease agreements build on the recent wave of positive momentum for One Daytona as we work toward a potential ground breaking this summer,” ISC CEO Lesa France Kennedy said in a prepared statement. “We officially welcome Johnny Morris and Bobby Cobb to the One Daytona family, and we look forward to growing it with the best from near and far as we create a very special place here in Daytona Beach.”

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